Circuit breaker



Nov. 22, 1955 c. J. KELLER ET AL CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed July 7, 1952 INVENTORS CLARENCE J/(ELLE/a y Joe WHITE Mad/2L4 United States Patent CIRCUIT BREAKER Clarence J. Keller and Joe White, Anderson, Ind., as-

signors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application July 7, 1952, Serial No. 297,534

4 Claims. (Cl. 200166) This invention relates to circuit completing assemblies such as circuit breakers for vibratory mechanism and is particularly related to circuit breaker mechanisms for vibrating horns.

A circuit breaker assembly comprising properly disp'osed terminal elements, connectors, contact support elements and insulators is assembled in proper circuit con trolling relation for quick and elficient mounting and replacement to complete a circuit. Basically, a molded insulator and tubular rivets clamp circuit breaker elements in proper relation, so that when a screw device or ordinary rivet passing through the tubular rivet, insulator and a mounting pad, properly complete the circuit breaker assembly. In essence, the basic insulator plate provides a plurality of tubular bosses upon which bosses the circuit control elements are stacked and held in proper relation by tubular rivets.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional view of a horn motor embodying the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the circuit breaker mechanism substantially as indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the circuit breaker assembly substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an insulator and supporting plate contributing to the circuit breaker assembly.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, indicates a horn base plate of sheet metal having a peripheral flange 12 cooperating with a clamp ring 14 to rigidly secure and support a diaphragm 16 for actuation by a motor 18. The motor 18 is mounted on a platform 20 of the horn base 10, which motor includes a winding 22 supported by a core member 24 and surrounded by a cup 26. An armature assembly including a plate 28, and plunger is secured at 32 to the diaphragm 16 and incorporates a hinge plate 34 for proper suspension and guidance of the armature assembly. A mounting pad 36 is struck out from the platform 20 and reinforced by a bracket 38 for securement of the other end of the hinge plate 34. With such a construction the armature assembly is capable of movement along the axis of the plunger 30 so that a hook member 40 secured to the plunger 30 may actuate the circuit breaker mechanism 42 mounted on the pad 36 when electric current is applied to the wind ing 22.

The circuit breaker assembly 42 is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and comprises a compact group of circuit completing elements for attachment to the mounting pad by means of rivets 44 passing through the mounting pad and circuit breaker assembly and riveted over at 46. The circuit breaker assembly 42 includes a cast or molded insulator 48, shown in Fig. 4, on which is disposed connectors and insulators to perfect a selected circuit con tinuity. The insulator 48 includes a plate portion 50 from one side of which project a plurality of tubular extensions or hollow bosses 52, 54 and 56. The opposite side of the plate portion 50 is provided with countersinks 58, each being concentric with the. bore or passage 60 of the extensions. This insulator 48 is formed by molding of casting some rigid plastic materials, such as nylon, and thereby provides a support member for an assembly of circuit completing elements having at one end apertures for disposition over the extensions 52,. 54 and 5 6. In this instance a terminal assembly 62 has a plate portion 64 disposed against the plate like portion 5'0 and against which a connector 66 is disposed, and followed by an insulator 68. A similar group consisting of a connector 79, a flexible contact support 72 and an' insulator plate 74 is mounted on the tubular extensions in the order mentioned, which is followed by a fixed contact plate 76 carrying a contact 78 normally engaged by a contact 8%) carried by the support 72. This stack of circuit completing elements mounted on the insulator 48 has a composite thickness slightly in excess of the length,

of the tubular extensions 52, 54 and 56. A flanged metal eyelet 82 is then passed through the bores 60 of the tubular extensions, so that the primary flange S4 is dis p'osed within a countersink 58 of the plate portion, and

so that the extending end of the eyelet 82 may be spun or peened over as at 86 to engage the face of the plate "76 and hold the stack of circuit elements in rigid relation.

The circuit breaker mechanism thereby comprises a unit assembly as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and is adapted to be mounted upon the pad 36 of the horn base by means of the rivets 44, which pass through the pad 36 and along the extent or" eyelet or tubular rivet 82 where they are riveted or peened over at 46.

In this instance the tubular rivet 82 maintains conductivity between the terminal assembly 62 and the connector 66 from which a lead may connect with the magnet coil 22, the other end of which coil may be connected to the connector which is maintained in conducting relation with the flexible contact support 72. It should be noted that the circuit completing elements 62 and 66 are maintained in nonconducting relation with respect to the conductive elements 70 and 72 by means of the intervening insulator 68 and the tubular extensions of non-conducting material. The flexible contact support 72 is similarly insulated from the rigid contact support 76 at their anchored end by the insulator 74 and the tubular extensions. The elements 72 and 76 are so flexed that normally the contacts and 78 carried thereby are normally engaged, but adaptable to be separated by movement of the armature. This construction facilitates mounting upon the horn base in a circuit controlling relation by means of rivets or screws passing through the tubular rivet of the assembly and secured to the motor base. The rigid contact support 76 will then be electrically connected or grounded to the horn base by means of the rivets expanded against the hollow rivet 82 and the mounting pad of the hornbase. When so mounted the flexible contact support 72 and the insulator plate 74 extend centrally of the motor unit as at 88 to extend beneath a lug 90 of the hook element 48 carried by the armature assembly. Energization of the winding 22 draws down the armature assembly and in so doing separates the contacts 78 and 86. Electric circuit can be properly carried through the breaker assembly since the insulator with the tubular extensions prevent grounds or cross connections of the circuit elements mounted thereon.

While the embodiment of the present invention as Patented Nov. 22, 1955' 3 herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a vibrator mechanism having a mounting pad having spaced apertures therein and a movable armature, a circuit breaker mechanism adapted to be mounted on said pad having a contact adapted to be moved by means associated with said armature, comprising in combina tion; an insulating base having a plate portion and a plurality of spaced integrally formed tubular bosses extending from one side of said plate and a plurality of recesses in alignment with said bosses on the other side of said plate, a stack of alternately disposed insulators and connectors having apertures receptive of said hollow bosses, said stack including; a contact support plate and a movable contact member insulated from said contact plate and adapted to be moved by said armature when said stack is positioned on said bosses and the apertures thereof are aligned with the apertures in said pad, and a plurality of tubular rivets extending through said tubular bosses having one end thereof deformed to be received in said recesses and the other end thereof deformed to engage surface portions of said contact plate for holding said stack in position on said base and means including rivets extending through the tubular rivets of said assembly and the apertures in said pad for rigidly mounting said assembly on said pad.

2. In a vibrator mechanism having a mounting pad with spaced apertures therein, a movable armature and a circuit breaker sub-assembly mechanism adapted to be mounted on said pad and be actuated by said armature,

said sub-assembly comprising; an insulating base having a plate portion and a plurality of spaced integrally formed tubular bosses extending from one side of said plate and a plurality of recesses in the other side of said plate in alignment with said bosses, a plurality of alternately stacked insulators and connectors each having apertures receptive of said bosses wherein one of said connectors consists of a contact that is adapted to be moved by said armature when said sub-assembly is in position on the mounting pad, and a plurality of tubular rivets extending through said tubular bosses for holding said stack in position on said plate, and a plurality of rivets extending through the tubular rivets of said subassembly and the apertures on said pad for rigidly mounting the sub-assembly on said mounting pad.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the stack of connectors and insulators includes a flexible fixed contact plate having a contact normally engageable with a contact carried by said movable contact plate.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the recesses in the plate are countersunk and concentric with the tubular bosses for the reception of a flange of the tubular rivet when the rivet is in position for holding the sub-assembly together.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

